Actor and improv comedian Howard Hesseman, best known for his portrayal Dr. Johnny Fever in the CBS sitcome WKRP in Cincinnati as well as the starring role in the ABC sitcom Head of the Class, passed away yesterday of complications of colon surgery. He was 81.
Hesseman's career spanned 50 years cutting his teeth in improv comedy as a member of The Committee. He would later utilize some of those improv skills in small roles in movies like The Trial of Billy Jack and in a recurring role on The Bob Newhart Show as Mr. Plager as part of Dr. Hartley's group therapy sessions who later became one of the first openly gay men on TV.
Of course, Hesseman's big break came on WKRP in Cincinnati in 1978. His experience as an actual DJ would prove crucial in getting him this role. After WKRP went off the air in 1982, Hesseman appeared in films like This is Spinal Tap, Clue and Police Academy II: Their First Assignment as well as a recurring role in One Day at a Time before being tapped to play Charlie Moore in Head of the Class in 1986. Hesseman would leave the show after four seasons to embark upon a movie career but apart from indie film Rubin & Ed with Crispin Glover, Hesseman did not enjoy the same success on the big screen as he did on the small screen. Hesseman would reprise his role as Johnny Fever in The New WKRP in Cincinnati in the early 1990's. He would continue to appear on TV over the next quarter century in shows like Boston Legal, House, Psych, ER and Fresh Off The Boat before retiring in 2018.
Here is Hesseman as part of The Committee making an appearance on The Dick Cavett Show in a scene with Mel Stewart in which their respective characters change their race. R.I.P.
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